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Viber Verification Messages: Promotexter Launches Secure Verification in the Philippines
Fraud, smishing, and account takeovers are among the fastest-growing cyber threats in the Philippines, costing both consumers and businesses billions of pesos each year. Criminals exploit weaknesses in the SMS ecosystem, including unencrypted transmissions, spoofed sender IDs, and multiple network handovers, to intercept or fake authentication codes.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has responded by urging financial institutions to move away from traditional SMS OTPs in favour of more secure authentication methods. BSP Circular No. 1213 sets out the regulator’s position: verification codes must be protected from interception and misuse, and delivery channels must be resilient against attacks.
Viber Verification Messages (often referred to as Viber OTP) offer a safer, BSP-aligned way to protect customer accounts by sending one-time passwords through a verified, encrypted transport channel directly to a customer’s primary device.
Why Viber Verification Messages are the Future of Secure Authentication in the Philippines
Built to Outwit Bad Actors
Viber Verification Messages are issued only from verified Viber Business accounts marked with the blue tick — a visible trust signal for customers. Messages are transmitted over TLS-encrypted channels, making man-in-the-middle attacks far more difficult than with SMS, which remains largely unencrypted, even on 5G networks.
Primary Device Delivery for Better Protection
Viber Verification Messages are sent only to the user’s primary Viber device, reducing the risk of codes being accessed on shared or secondary devices such as tablets. This ensures that one-time passwords remain with the intended account holder.
High Viber Penetration
Viber is one of the Philippines’ most trusted and widely used messaging apps, with millions of active users nationwide. Delivering OTPs through a familiar, secure channel supports higher customer confidence and increases delivery success rates.
Promotexter’s Role in the Philippine Rollout
Viber Verification Messages are being introduced to the Philippine market through Promotexter, a Gold Viber Business Partner within Viber’s vetted partner network. The implementation is designed to prioritise secure, app-based delivery to the customer’s primary device, with SMS available only as a backup when Viber delivery is not possible.
The platform incorporates safeguards such as multi-factor authentication for platform access, IP whitelisting for API traffic, and strict client vetting to ensure only legitimate businesses can access Viber Verification Messages. These controls are designed to prevent misuse of the channel and uphold Viber’s security and compliance standards.
How Viber Verification Messages Work
Viber Verification Messages combine a streamlined end-user experience with a secure delivery method:
- Request – The brand’s customer initiates a transaction, login, or account verification.
- Viber Delivery – The OTP is sent instantly to that customer’s primary device via the brand’s verified Viber business account, complete with the brand name.
- Last-Resort SMS Fallback – If customers are not accessible via Viber, the OTP may be sent via SMS as a backup, used only when necessary to finalise verification.
- Verification – The customer enters the OTP to confirm their identity.
The Advantage of Pre-Approved Message Templates
Viber Verification Messages are delivered using pre-approved business message templates. These templates are reviewed and authorised by Viber before use, ensuring they meet strict content, branding, and compliance standards.
This approach provides several operational advantages:
- Instant send approval – Pre-cleared templates avoid delays from live content checks.
- Consistent format – OTP codes are inserted dynamically into a fixed, recognisable layout.
- Reduced phishing risk – Standardised design makes fraudulent copies easier for users to spot.
- Regulatory compliance – Template control supports BSP and Viber anti-fraud measures.
By combining template control with a verified sender identity, Viber Verification Messages ensure businesses can deliver time-sensitive authentication codes quickly and in a trusted format.
How Viber Verification Messages Differ from Standard Viber OTP
Several service providers in the market offer “Viber OTP” using Viber’s regular Transactional Message type. This is a legitimate use case, but it lacks the additional capabilities of the Viber Verification Message format.
Viber Verification Messages are purpose-built for authentication, with key advantages:
- Primary-device delivery – Verification Messages are sent only to the user’s primary Viber device, whereas transactional messages are delivered to all devices registered to the account.
- Ready-to-use OTP templates – Built directly into the API for consistent presentation and BSP compliance.
- One-tap COPY button – Allows users to quickly paste their code without errors.
- Lower messaging costs – Compared to using regular transactional messages for OTP.
Benefits for Businesses in the Philippines
Viber Verification Messages give organisations a secure, compliant, and customer-friendly way to deliver one-time passwords:
- Fraud reduction – TLS-encrypted delivery and verified sender accounts make phishing attempts easier to detect and messages harder to intercept.
- Customer trust – Messages come from branded, verified Viber business accounts with the blue tick, helping customers instantly recognise legitimate communications.
- User convenience – Consistent formatting and usability features, such as the one-tap copy button, make codes faster and easier to use.
- Regulatory alignment – Meets BSP’s push for stronger authentication methods and controlled OTP delivery.
- Operational reliability – SMS is available as a backup only in rare cases when Viber delivery isn’t possible.
Why Choose Promotexter for Viber Verification Messages?
Selecting a provider with the right credentials and infrastructure is essential to deploying Viber Verification Messages effectively. Promotexter, a Gold Viber Business Partner, works within Viber’s trusted partner network and has extensive experience delivering secure, large-scale enterprise messaging in the Philippines.
The platform incorporates robust safeguards, including multi-factor authentication for platform access, IP whitelisting for API traffic, and strict client vetting. These measures support message integrity, regulatory compliance, and a smooth transition from SMS OTP to Viber Verification Messages.
A More Secure Way Forward
The move from SMS OTP to secure, app-based verification reflects both the reality of rising fraud threats and the regulatory push for stronger defences. Viber Verification Messages offer Philippine businesses a way to protect customer identities, prevent attacks, and maintain trust in the digital transactions that drive the economy.
Contact Promotexter today to integrate Viber OTP into your system and future-proof your authentication process.
